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LA JOLLA, Calif. - This team has something special. It can't be measured in stats, talent or even heart, but there is something extra below the surface that just wills the 2018 Point Loma women's soccer team to victory. Today, the Sea Lions achieved a program first by earning a 2-1 win over No. 22 Chico State in the NCAA West Regional, but it was the way they earned the win, which reinforcement the quality of this team.
 
Ashlee Smith scored the first goal of the match in the 10th minute to give the Sea Lions the early 1-0 lead. It was a critical goal as PLNU did not look good early in the contest. Julia Glaser got the play started by running down a ball on the sideline and after a series of passes she fed it to Bella Diaz cutting across the top of the 18-yard box. Diaz took a quick touch and laid it off outside the box where Smith gathered with a touch and shot a laser from 22 yards out into the bottom left corner of the net for the score.
 
That lead would be short-lived as Chico State answered three minutes later with the equalizer. Abbie Jones found her teammate Erin Woods on a nice pass in the box and Woods was able to beat a PLNU defender to get a clean look at the goal for the score.
 
The match remained tied through halftime and into the middle of the second half, and then you saw the Sea Lions' fitness start to shine through. PLNU had three quality chances between the 67th and 73rd minutes, but could just not find the net thanks to some great goaltending by Chico State's Brenna Miller. The first was a free kick by Smith just outside the box, which Miller was able to get a hand on and push it high. The next was a breakaway by Abbey Teagle. She made a run on the right side and found Diaz open in front of the net. Diaz turned and shot the ball towards the far side of the net but Miller was able to sprawl out and once again got a hand on the shot. The last was a header attempt in the box by Smith in which she was 1v1 with Miller but could not get enough on the shot to get it past the keeper.
 
These chances showed the weakness in the Wildcats' defense and fueled Sea Lions' attack. The breakthrough came in the 86th minute when Raynee Odell took a shoot just outside the top right corner of the the box and a Chico State defender threw her hand into the air, striking the ball and resulting in the penalty kick. Coach Kristi Kiely called on the PacWest's leading goal scorer, Julia Glaser, to take the kick. Glaser calmly stepped over the ball and took the shot. Even with Miller guessing the right direction, Glaser's penalty kick was perfect and it put Point Loma up 2-1 with just over four minutes to play. The Sea Lions then held off one more scoring run from the Wildcats and held onto the ball for the victory.
 
Emma Hinson finished the match with four saves in the win for PLNU. Miller had five saves for the Wildcats.
 
Team records
Point Loma (16-1-1), Chico State (10-2-6)
 
Words from coach Kiely and the student-athletes


Scoring summary
9:15 - PLNU GOAL: Ashlee Smith (Bella Diaz, Julia Glaser) [PLNU 1, CHICO 0]
12:13 - CHICO GOAL: Erin Woods (Abbi Jones, Susanna Garcia) [PLNU 1, CHICO 1]
85:41 - PLNU GOAL: Julia Glaser (penalty kick) [PLNU 2, CHICO 1]
 
News and notes
> This is just the third victory ever for a PacWest team in the women's soccer regional (APU 2015 & 2016)
> Glaser added to her PacWest record with her 10th game-winning goal of the season
> It was Smith's second goal of the season and Glaser's 14th
> PLNU is 16-0-0 this season when scoring first
> The Sea Lions have appeared in three of the last five NCAA West Regionals
> Point Loma has a 30-5 goal differential this season
> The victory improved PLNU's road record to 10-0-0
> PLNU has not trailed in any contest since August
> The 2018 women's soccer team is just the third Point Loma team to ever win a regional contest (2014-15 women's basketball & 2018 baseball)
 
Next match
The Sea Lions will now take on No. 1 seed and tournament host, UC San Diego, on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Noon. Fan can follow the match through NCAA.com and it can be seen at http://ucsdtritons.tv/. Tickets for the NCAA West Regional will be available for purchase at the gate. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, seniors or children ages 2-12.